Motor racing sensation Lewis Hamilton doesn't like to settle for second best on the track - nor does he when it comes to winning over beautiful women.

The Formula 1 genius, who is leading the world championship in his first season, has been seen out with a mystery girl lately.

And now the Mirror can reveal she is none other than the daughter of one of the bosses of Lewis's McLaren team.

Sara Ojjeh's father is 55-year-old multi-millionaire Mansour Ojjeh, who helped found McLaren with manager Ron Dennis nearly 30 years ago.

This week Lewis, 22, joined 18-year-old Sara on her dad's 235-foot yacht Kogo - named after his wife.

And the couple made no secret of their feelings for each other as they enjoyed their break on Cote d'Azur in the South of France.

They met at a disco for drivers, teams, officials and VIP guests after Lewis, pictured right, took second place at the Monaco grand prix.

But Sara's gain has meant heartbreak for Lewis's long-term girlfriend Jodia Ma, who is said to be "inconsolable" after he switched his affections.

Jodia, whose father is a millionaire Hong Kong businessman, met Lewis while they were studying at a college in Cambridge seven years ago.

But although she and Sara both come from privileged backgrounds, it seems to be Sara who is winning the race for Lewis's heart. Sara is no stranger to the world of celebrity. She counts actors Jude Law and Michael Douglas as friends. Douglas did the presentations when she graduated from the International School of Geneva in June.

Friends say Sara is a spirited, fun-loving girl with a terrific sense of humour. One remarked: "She's perfect for Lewis. Sara always has a smile on her face and doesn't let anything get her down. She's lived and breathed motor racing.

"She's very bright, but loves to party.

"Her graduation day was followed by a wild night out in Geneva, posing in fun shots for friends' cameras."

Sara, who is due to begin a four-year degree course at New York University in the autumn, is a keen runner and swimmer and enjoys sailing.

Her family's wealth was created by her Syrian-born grandfather Akram Ojjeh, who made a £100million fortune fixing up arms deals between France and Saudi Arabia.

He was once banned from France for illegal deals but reinvented himself with the help of ex-billionaire Adnan Khashoggi and went on to make even more millions.

Born in Damascus, he became friends with the Saudi royal family, particularly Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

His fabulous art collection included paintings by Van Gogh, Pissarro and Cezanne, as well as £20million worth of 18th century French furniture.

One of his Van Goghs - Le Pont de Trinquetaille - was valued at £12million after Akram died in 1991, aged 73.

He also bought one of the world's biggest private yachts, the SS France, for £8million in 1977.

His widow, third wife Nahed, who was 42 years younger than Akram, still throws lavish parties at the apartment they once shared in the expensive 16th district of Paris.

Nahed is the daughter of General Mustafa Tlass, a former Syrian defence minister, and was just 18 when she married 60-year-old Akram.

She is younger than her stepson Mansour - Sara's father.

In 1999 Nahad sold 22 paintings from Akram's collection for over £20million, including a Renoir and the Van Gogh.

But she withdrew a Cezanne because it failed to raise enough interest from bidders. Mansour inherited his dad's golden touch and now also part-owns TAG, the watches-to-luxury-jets empire which sponsors Lewis on the racetrack.

Now the rich life is rubbing off on Lewis.

And with Sara at his side, Formula 1's new discovery is finding there's no limit to his good fortune.